Fitments are often used with flexible containers such as liquid filled bags. These bags are typically made of a flexible plastic and are filled with a variety of liquid food products which may become easily contaminated by exposure to air. Fitments provide a means through which flexible containers may be filled and emptied while minimizing contamination to the contents of the container. Fitments may also be used in conjunction with liquid dispensing systems, such as a dispensing system having a peristaltic pump to regulate the flow and amount of liquid dispensed. These dispensing systems often are used in restaurants or local convenience stores to facilitate self-service of liquid food products such as syrups, toppings, and other similar condiments.
As shown in Prior Art FIGS. 8 and 9, a typical fitment 100 has a base 102 that is affixed to a flexible container to form an opening through which the container may be filled. After the container is filled with a desired liquid, a cap 104 or similar closure is normally attached to the base 102 and used to seal the container and protect it from contamination. Depending on the type of liquid contents, the container and its contents then are usually heat sterilized through an autoclave method or similar process.
To gain access and to dispense the contents of the container, the cap 104 must be removed from the base 102 of the fitment 100. (See FIG. 9.) Generally in prior fitments 100, these caps 104 require a tool 106 to remove because the heat sterilization process causes the cap 104 to become rigidly affixed to the base 102. Numerous tools 106, such as wrenches and other similar devices, are used to manually pry off the cap 104.
Prior fitments 100 have presented several problems for end users attempting to remove the fitment 100 prior to use. For example, because an appropriate tool 106 capable of prying off the cap 104 must be used, the removal process is complicated. These tools 106 are often misplaced and unavailable when needed, making removal of the cap 104 very difficult. Also, because a great deal of force is required to remove the cap 104, spillage of a portion of the contents of the container often occurs during the removal process. Further, once the cap 104 is removed, a spout attachment 108 must be affixed to the base 102 of the fitment 100. Many prior spout attachments 108 are ineffective because the material the spout attachment 108 is made of is not compatible for use with a peristaltic pump which is often used in food dispensing systems. (See FIG. 7.) Specifically, many prior spout attachments 108 are made of a material that is too rigid to be deformed by the pump or that have insufficient recovery to stress, such that the spout attachment 108 becomes permanently deformed and rendered incapable of delivering fluids.
For these reasons, it is desirable to produce a fitment for a flexible container and to provide a method of using the same, that is easy to assemble and install into a dispensing system and that minimizes contamination to the contents of the flexible container.